Solar heating system

ABSTRACT

A solar heating system for preheating water which may be used in conjunction with an existing hot water heater. The use of potable water as the heating fluid renders the use of a heat exchanger unit unnecessary. A novel collector unit is disclosed which includes a molded plastic collector frame with integral fluid passageway. The durable unitized collector design eliminates the need for frame members, additional fluid conduits, specially manufactured collector plates and multiple collector sealing layers. The invention provides an exceptionally low cost, material intensive solar heating system. Pumping systems are provided to facilitate collector operation in conjunction with high or low pressure preheating systems.

This application is a division, of application Ser. No. 122,856, filedFeb. 20, 1982, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,979, a division of applicationSer. No. 885,356 filed Mar. 13, 1976, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There has been many previous solar collector systems described whichprovide energy savings particularly for meeting heating or hot waterrequirements. Although such systems have been known for some time, theirimplementation has been inhibited by the high cost of solar collectorunits and the relatively lower cost of common fossil fuels. With thecost of all fuels now escallating solar heating units have become moreattractive, yet their usage is still restricted due in major part to thesubstantial initial expense involved in purchasing collector units.

Existing solar collectors tend to be either one of three types.Concentration type collectors localize the sun's light on a particularheat conductive member which transfers the heat to a circulating fluidwhich can then communicate the heat to a receptor. The labor andmaterial expense involved in the manufacture of these focusingcollectors make them impractical for many applications. In addition tothe economic considerations typical concentration collectors are furtherlimited in that they are effective for only a narrow angle of sunlightoutside of which their effectiveness decreases dramatically.

Metallic pipe collectors typically include a black, fluid carrying pipespaced between a glass or plastic cover and an insulated base. Thesedevices often employ coiled piping or zigzagging in convolutions in agiven plane requiring numerous flow restricting elbows and considerablelengths of metallic piping. Thermal inefficiencies result from theexcessive spacing of the convolutions which permits radiation of much ofthe solar energy back into the atmosphere. Economic inefficienciesfurther include the excessive labor and material costs inherent in theproduction of the device.

The present invention is of the third variety utilizing a flat platecollector. This type system makes use of flat surfaces to absorb thesolar energy, and can receive light from a wide variety of angles.Although a considerable number of flat plate collector systems existnone of these systems use the unitized mode of construction withintegral fluid passageways as does the present invention. H. E. StoutinU.S. Pat. No. 3,918,430 teaches a light weight plastic film solarcollector utilizing a plate collector in a plastic frame. Stout howeverdoes not disclose the use of fluid passageways integral to the plasticframe but rather requires the installation of multiple film layers andfurther necessitates the use of a fabricated solar ply which makes thesystem more expensive. In addition the use of a plastic foam insulationbase in the patent results in undesirable temperature limitations ofwhich the inventors were apparently unaware. E. W. Gough in U.S. Pat.No. 3,076,450 teaches a plastic solar heater. This patent uses apolyurethane foam plastic base which includes an undulated top thatdefines a series of parallel water channels. The use of a now integralframe however necessitates additional fabrication and thereforeadditional cost. Furthermore the application of a black plastic liner tothe surface of the plastic base requires additional manufacturing andresults in direct contact between the heat conducting fluid and the thinplastic liner. If such contact is continuous the result is likely to bethe deterioration of the plastic liner necessitating extensive repairprocedures to the replacement of the entire unit.

In the present invention heat absorption is accomplished by anabsorptive coating imposed on the upper surface of the collector plate.The coating may be selective or non-selective. This constructionprovides for simpler assembly a more evenly distributed coating, reducesdeterioration of the absorptive coating, allows much simpler maintenancewhen necessary and allows for more direct solar exposure upon theabsorptive coating resulting in a more efficient collection system. Thepresent invention also allows for the application of a more evenabsorptive coating. The construction of the integral passageways used inthe present invention further allows greater surface exposure of theheat conducting fluid. This eliminates the deep troughs found in Goughand results in an overall more efficient heat transfer to the conductingfluid. The heater disclosed by Gough is also limited in that the use ofpolyurethane foam plastic as a heat insulator makes the systemunsuitable for use at the temperatures encountered in today's solarcollector systems. In applications where the low pressure heater ofGough does prove effective the user is left unguided in the necessarytask of developing a suitable low pressure collector loop system intowhich it must be integrated.

In U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,043 issued to R. W. Bliss a solar water heatingsystem is described which utilizes a high pressure self-draining heatingsystem with a coil type collector. While the automatic draining conceptdisclosed by Bliss was an improvement in contemporaneous systems, itremained to be seen if a low pressure system, requiring a less stringentconstruction, and therefore more cost effective, could be devised whichcould also be self-draining and utilize a less expensive unitized modeof construction.

Although the above described systems have assisted in solving problemspresent in the design of an efficient solar collector, neither these norother systems proved entirely satisfactory for the reason that no trulycost effective low pressure collector system has been proposed until theemergence of the present system.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved solar heating system which utilizes a low pressurecollector loop and a simple inexpensive collector assembly.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a durablenoncorrosive solar heating system which is not easily damaged, can bemanufactured at low cost, and can utilize copper plumbing.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a self-drainingsolar heating system requiring minimal maintenance and suitable for hightemperature operation associated with shut down.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a system for adaptinga low pressure solar heating system for use with either a high pressureor low pressure water heating system.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a solar collectorsystem for preheating potable water which operates in conjunction withan existing hot water system so as to not to burden the hot water systemduring hours of little or no sunlight.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a solarcollector system which utilizes an inexpensive molded plastic collectorbase which makes fluid connection, installation, interconnection ofmultiple units and any necessary repair relatively simple and extremelycost effective in both terms of labor and materials.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description and claims, the novelty consisting of thefeature of construction, combination of parts, the unique relations ofthe members and the operation thereof, all as more completely outlinedherein and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the inlet andoutlet port of a solar collector assembly constructed in accordance withthe present invention showing details of the collector construction.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the molded collector frame showingthe ribbed upper surface.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along 3--3 of FIG. 2 showingdetails in the construction of the ribbed collector frame surface.

FIG. 4 is a view of a cross section of the collector assembly cover.

FIG. 5 is a side view in cross section of the collector assembly cover.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the collector assembly cover.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of an alternative embodiment of asolar collector assembly showing details of the assembly.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a solar heating system for apressurized hot water supply constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention illustrating the use of the same with a low pressurehot water preheater.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a combination unboosted pressure reducerand unboosted pump assembly for use in the system of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings in detail it will be seen that theembodiment of the invention which has been illustrated in FIG. 1comprises molded plastic collector frame 12 of suitable dimensionshaving an interior cavity 14 with collector assembly cover 16 detachablymounted to the side walls of the collector assembly. Collector plate 18is mounted on the surface of frame 12.

Collector frame is composed of material capable of withstanding hightemperatures and includes a ribbed top surface portion defining aplurality of capillary water passages 20. Fluid inlet passageway 22 isdesigned to communicate the heating fluid to capillary passages 20 whereit comes in contact with the lower surface of collector plate 18. Fluiddischarge passageway 24 communicates the heating fluid from thecollector assembly back into the heating system loop. Standoffs 27provide for a manifold type effect permitting more even fluid flowdistribution across capillary passages 20.

Frame 12 is backed with a high temperature insulating foam such asisocyanurate foam interposed in interior cavity 14. The insulating foamserves to keep the heating fluid at a higher temperature and thereforeminimize heat losses associated with the assembly.

The sides of frame 12 are slightly angled to permit easy removal fromthe mold, stacking during manufacture and shipping, and to permit simpleassembly between the frame 1 and collector assembly cover 16.

Ribs 26, shown in more detail in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 serve a dual purposeof defining capillary passages 20 and supporting collector plate 18. Theribs are an integral portion of frame 12 being formed as to optimizeflow distribution to provide maximum exposure of the heating fluid tothe lower surface of plate 18 while consistent with cost intensiveproduction. Ribs 26 are bonded to collector plate 18 to form a leakproofassembly therewith. Plate 18 is composed of a thin sheet of absorptivematerial which can be provided with a solar selective black coating onits upper surface to increase solar energy absorption.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show the construction of collector assembly cover 16 indetail. The cover is composed of a thin transparent molded plastic beingcrowned or ribbed to improve appearance and add the strength necessaryto withstand the loads encountered in shipping, installation andoperation. If desired, multiple covers of similar or differing designsmay be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thecover is shown attached to the frame in FIG. 1 utilizing fasteners 28along the sides.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative construction of frame 12 incorporatingintegral manifolding 30 used in order to simplify installation ofmultiple collector assembly units.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are schematic representations of domestic hot watersystems that permit the use of the low cost, low pressure solarcollector previously described, in a highly efficient manner byeliminating the need for a heat exchanger between the high pressurewater supply and the low pressure collector system. FIG. 9 depicts asystem utilizing a pump to repressurize the water that has passedthrough the collector, back to system pressure.

Insulated preheater tank 32 is of standard commercial design providingpressurized hot water to an existing hot water heater. Three waysolenoid valve 34 is operated by a temperature difference between thewater in preheater 32 and in solar array 38. When the temperature of thesolar array 38 exceeds the water temperature in preheater tank 32, valve34 operates to allow the pressurized lower temperature water input topass through the now open solenoid valve 34 and into the solar array atlow pressure. Restricted orifice 42 serves to control the flow of waterinto the array.

The solar array 38 is positioned above the remainder of the system sothat when water is not being pumped through the collector loop array 38drains into small insulated tank 36. Pump 40 is activated by the waterlevel in insulated tank 36 and operates to pump water from unpressurizedinsulated tank 36 into pressurized preheater tank 32 as the solar arraydrains. Vent 44 and drain 46 operate to facilitate this drainage bycreating an air space in the upper portion of insulated tank 36. Checkvalve 48 operates to prevent the flow of water from the pressurizedpreheater into the collector loop.

FIG. 9 depicts a two pump hot water system where the preheater tank 54operates at low pressure permitting a less expensive metal or even aplastic tank to be used. Pump 50 is utilized to pump water through thesolar collector array 38 while pump 52 operates when usage demands hotwater. Pump 52 does not have to be boosted since it can deliver water atslightly reduced pressure without the user being aware of the change.

An unboosted pump assembly is illustrated in detail in FIG. 10. Insidepump body assembly 56 piston assembly 58 longitudinally traverses theassembly responsive to alternating input flows. Mechanical valve 60 actsas a logic valve channeling the cold water inputs to ports 62 and 64alternatively depending upon the position of the piston. The cold wateroutput leaves the pump assembly after logic valve 60 alternates theinput through the same port it entered, now being reduced in pressure.Hot water from low pressure tank 54 enters the pump assembly throughports 66 and 68 alternatively. As the low pressure hot water enters oneportion of the assembly it is being discharged from another portion, dueto the motion of the piston assembly responding to the high pressureinputs through ports 62 and 64. The difference in the cross sectionalarea of compressed portions of the interior pump assembly results inincreased discharge pressures in the smaller portions of the assembly.The hot water being discharged from the assembly is thereby pressurizedto approximately the pressure of the cold water input and is directedfrom ports 66 and 68 towards a standard domestic hot water heater. Checkvalves 70, 72, 74 and 76 operate to insure that the low pressure hotwater from the solar array does not intermix with the pressurized hotwater flow to the external hot water heater.

It is to be understood however that a great number of variations may bemade in the invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Forexample, the restricted orifice 42 and pump 46 can be replaced by asingle combination pressure reducer and booster pump assembly interposedbetween the input and output conduits to preheater tank 32. Additionalchanges in size, shape or modules can also be utilized within the scopeof the present invention.

Having described an operative construction for the invention it is nowdesired to set forth the intended protection sought by these LettersPatent in the appended claims that follow:

I claim:
 1. A domestic solar hot water system having a pressurized waterinput and output comprising:means for reducing the input water pressure;an insulated low pressure preheater tank with an input in fluidcommunication with said pressure reducing means and an output dischargeconduit leading from said preheater tank; a first pumping means betweenthe system output and said preheater tank output for communicating waterfrom said preheater tank to a pressurized external hot water heater whenuseage requires; an array of interconnected solar assembly units havinginput and output ports, both being connected to said preheater tank; adifferential temperature controller connected between said solar arrayand said preheater tank, being adjustable to actuate when said arrayreceives sufficient solar energy to heat the water therein to atemperature greater than that of the water in said preheater; and secondpumping means connected to and actuated by said differential temperaturecontroller to pump water from said preheater through said solar array.2. The domestic hot water system as defined in claim 1 wherein saidmeans for reducing the input pressure and said first pumping means forcommunicating water from said preheater tank to an external hot waterheater comprise a single unit connected between the system input andoutput, said unit comprising:a pump body assembly having a hollowinterior being characterized by three longitudinal compression chambersof equal length, with the middle chamber being wider than the endchambers; a piston assembly positioned within said assembly and havingthree piston heads, one of said heads positioned in each of saidcompression chambers forming watertight seals with the longitudinalwalls of said chambers and in slidable communication therewith; amechanical logic valve connected to said assembly wherein saidpressurized system input is communicated to the input of said valve andthe output of said valve is communicated to said low pressure preheatertank, said valve being sequenced by the position of said piston suchthat the system input is communicated through one of two apertures insaid middle chamber so as to cause water under low pressure to bedischarged from said assembly into said low pressure preheater tank; endchamber ducts imposed at the longitudinal ends of said pump bodyassembly, both of said ducts being connected to receive water from saidlow pressure preheater tank as said piston assembly moves away from saidduct and dischargable into a pressurized hot water heater as said pistonassembly moves toward said duct, and; check valve interposed in theinput and output conduits as to assure the proper direction of waterflowtherein.